UPDATE: Shalom Alvarez and Justin Akins have been dismissed from the MTSU football team for animal cruelty after a Snapchat follower turned a video over to authorities of Alvarez slapping a small puppy while Akins recorded him.
Middle Tennessee coach Rick Stockstill said in a statement that “their actions were in violation of the values and standards of our program.” Stockstill said he spoke “with authorities with the appropriate expertise” before making the decision.
Two Middle Tennessee State football players have been suspended after a Snapchat video showing them slapping a puppy has surfaced.
Shalom Alvarez and Justin Akins have been suspended and are being investigated by Murfreesboro police after Alvarez is seen in the video slapping a puppy across the face as it yelped helplessly.
Akins, a defensive lineman, filmed Alvarez, a linebacker, as he pulled the dog from under a bed and began to hit the small puppy repeatedly. Akins posted the video on Snapchat with the caption: ‘[expletive] said you don’t pay rent.’
Snapchat videos delete after 24 hours but a fan re-recorded the video on an iPad and turned it over to the police.
The two told MTSU Coach Rick Stockstill they were house training the puppy, Rocko, and disciplined him for urinating indoors.
Flip the page for the disturbing video: